Nigeria's dance culture, inspired by folklore and other African forms of music has evolved over the years and given way to new dance forms that have become popular and graced videos of music stars across the African continent.
Since losing seven members of her family in a plane crash years back, Sarah Boulos, a Lebanese-Nigerian was inspired to set up The Society For The Performing Arts in Nigeria(SPAN) in 2004.
The school which started with an investment of 750,000 naira (3,768 U.S. dollars) in a garage at her home has grown to occupy its own space at a community centre located in the business district of Lagos.
Sarah Boulos believes she and her dancers are slowly winning over audiences.
"We have a very well received audience when it comes to dance and even when it comes to music with dance, so we're very excited about that. Nigerian community is very open minded because they are starting to love that SPAN is part of Lagos, SPAN is part of Nigeria, SPAN has raised children, Nigerian children to become successful to open bank accounts and have families so when we have a SPAN event, they will come and they will watch and they will enjoy," the 46 year old said.
Since the dance school was established, they have trained over 100 students and supported hundreds in their professional field; partnering with over 100 non-governmental organisations while providing on a yearly basis over 30 jobs in the entertainment industry.
Ballet dancer, Abimbola Fakiya teaches ballet at a school in Lagos.
The dancer who also loves dancing hip-hop says what initially started as a foreign dance to him has turned out to be another medium of communication.
"We saw it a lot on TV and we looked at it like something that probably could not be taught to us because we thought it like a white man dance or probably something they just, it's their culture and all that because we have our culture and our own kind of dance style but when I came to SPAN and I actually had to learn ballet it actually taught me that it's not just about culture because dance is a language and you can speak it to anyone even if you don't speak English you can speak dance and ballet is one of those dance languages that when you speak out people hear it and when you learn something like ballet it helps your body,"
Twelve-year-old, Alexis Kentebe is one of the younger performers. She says she enjoys other forms of dance but ballet is her first love.
"I don't really do anything else without ballet, sometimes I maybe may do a little hip-hop in my room sometimes by myself but Nigerian dance I find it, it's very interesting and it has those loud and how do I say it, it comes out to people and it makes people smile when people dance the Nigerian culture of dancing,"
Sarah says most students from SPAN do not get jobs if they are unable to teach ballet as schools and institutions acknowledge already known dance forms but embrace diversity of all dance forms especially ballet.
"There is a reality factor, I have not pushed it. It happens to be this way, it happens that schools have identified the need of using ballet as a technique to develop the child for his motricity, for his brain activities, for everything so that is why that technique that is simplified for children is allowing people to make a living out of it,"
The founder of SPAN says her aim was to build a sole performing centre unifying all forms of dances, artistes and all areas of performing arts.
"I don't really do anything else without ballet, sometimes I maybe may do a little hip-hop in my room sometimes by myself but Nigerian dance I find it, it's very interesting and it has those loud and how do I say it, it comes out to people and it makes people smile when people dance the Nigerian culture of dancing,"
Sarah says most students from SPAN do not get jobs if they are unable to teach ballet as schools and institutions acknowledge already known dance forms but embrace diversity of all dance forms especially ballet.
"There is a reality factor, I have not pushed it. It happens to be this way, it happens that schools have identified the need of using ballet as a technique to develop the child for his motricity, for his brain activities, for everything so that is why that technique that is simplified for children is allowing people to make a living out of it,"
The founder of SPAN says her aim was to build a sole performing centre unifying all forms of dances, artistes and all areas of performing arts.
Sarah says it has been a challenging journey but her efforts over the years to evolutionise the dance scene in Nigeria has paid off.
"First thing that I called were my friends and I told them I wanted to do an academy and I wanted to build a centre for Nigeria and I visited all the bankers of my company and they laughed because they were telling me what am I talking about? At the time performing arts was not that recognized or valued and I spoke about dance and I wanted to do academy of dance first so it was very difficult for me, the challenges was that I was not accepted."
"First thing that I called were my friends and I told them I wanted to do an academy and I wanted to build a centre for Nigeria and I visited all the bankers of my company and they laughed because they were telling me what am I talking about? At the time performing arts was not that recognized or valued and I spoke about dance and I wanted to do academy of dance first so it was very difficult for me, the challenges was that I was not accepted."
Young hip hop dancers at SPAN have added ballet to their repertoire. They say the 16th century dance form has made them stronger performers and enhanced their creativity.
Pictures courtesy Ejiro Edhughoro
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